As pets are a ubiquitous part of life, pet carriers have been developed in order to allow the easy transport of pets along with their owners. While relatively simple devices are sufficient in order to cage or carry pets, because animals are sensitive to extreme temperatures, simple pet carriers are inadequate in conditions where the pets may encounter extreme temperatures. If, for example, a pet is kept in a car with closed windows on a sunny day, the pet may experience extreme temperatures that could harm the pet. Likewise, if a pet is left within a car or outdoors on a very cold day, the pet could be harmed by the cold weather. Thus, several pet kennels and pet carriers have been developed that seek to regulate the temperature encountered by the pet while within the carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,531 to Peeples et al., for example, discloses a pet bed with heating and cooling capabilities. Peeples' device operates using a thermoelectric unit, which is mounted to the underside of the device with appropriate ducting for air circulation such that, depending on the electrical connection, heating or cooling is provided to a sink that is integral to the pet bed platform. In this manner, Peeples discloses a system for regulating the temperature of a bed upon which a pet lies in an open air environment that is elevated to provide a heated or cooled air layer below the pet bed, surrounded by a ring.
Peeples, however, fails to disclose a system that is sufficiently compact to be integrated into a portable pet carrier. For example, Peeples discloses a pet bed that includes a thermoelectric unit that is mounted to the bottom of the pet bed. This is a very bulky design and Peeples provides no alternate embodiments of the thermoelectric unit and utterly no disclosure as to how this thermoelectric unit would be integrated with a Convection unit.
Additionally, Peeples discloses a pet bed that that can only achieve temperatures that are 20-30° F. lower than the ambient temperature surrounding the pet. The thermoelectric conduction system of the Peeples pet bed may be controlled automatically or manually. The automatic system is controlled by a thermostat that merely switches the thermoelectric unit between heating and cooling, which is exactly what a user may do manually. Importantly, Peeples does not disclose a thermostat that adjusts the thermoelectric unit based on the overall temperature experienced by the pet for better temperature control.
Furthermore, the Peeples device only addresses the temperature experienced at the surface of the bed, and utterly fails to regulate the ambient temperature surrounding the bed. Indeed, before the present invention, as disclosed and claimed within this Application, no such device had been invented or was commercially available.
Other devices that disclose means for protecting pets from extreme temperatures are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,577 to Salahor, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0127060 to Yeung. Salahor's patent discloses a pet carrier featuring an insulated cloth cover. Yeung's patent discloses a pet carrier that features a compartment for inserting an air conditioning pad. However, the Yeung device ventilates air within the portable pet carrier by using porous material or sections of the pet carrier that contains holes, such as a mesh fabric or a flexible curtain, and, importantly, not forced ventilation. In fact, Yeung discloses only a compartment located in an enclosure to hold a means to filter the air through a heating pad, cooling pad, odor remover, or air freshener, and it does not disclose an air conditioning unit that is integrated in the device. Although the Yeung device discloses various passive means for minimizing the impact of extreme temperatures on a pet, through insulation the pet, the Yeung device is insufficient and ineffective in protecting the pet from more drastic weather disparities because an active heating and cooling system is not employed.
Moreover, merely combining a heating and cooling pet bed invention, such as the Peeples device, with a portable pet living space, such as the Salahor device or the Yeung device, is not disclosed or made obvious by these references. Furthermore, there is no motivation within these references to actually combine their teachings. The significant differences in the circuitry between Yeung, Salahor, and Peeples would make the resulting product very awkward if the teachings of these references were to be combined.
Further means for cooling pets while they are kept within kennels and carriers are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,727,503 and 6,490,995 to Whittaker and Greene, Jr., respectively. Both Whittaker's and Greene's devices use ice as a means to supply chilled air to the animal's enclosed space. These devices suffer from certain shortcomings, because, as the ice is heated and melts, it is no longer effective in providing cooling. Also, ice is heavy and may be cumbersome to transport in large quantities. Moreover, the devices use fans to blow air over the ice in order to cool the air. While this method cools the ambient air surrounding the pet, it fails to cool the surfaces in contact with the animal's body, which is an effective means for effectuating heat transfer and cooling the pet.
Several devices for heating pet homes are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,216,977, 6,637,374, and 6,923,144 to Allen, Jr., Hawks et al., and Little, respectively. Allen's device comprises a pet home that features a loft that includes a removable, electric heating system. Hawks' device, meanwhile, discloses a system for heating a pet home by an air duct that features an inlet and an outlet at the interior of the pet home. The air duct features a heating element that heats the interior of the pet home. Little's device discloses a system for keeping a pet warm while within the home by heating the bed upon which the pet lies. Beneath the pet's bed is featured a water tank with a submersible heater that heats the water, and by conduction, also heats the pet bed. While these devices disclose systems for keeping pets warm while in pet homes, they fail to disclose systems that may also keep pets cool. Further, they fail to disclose systems that are portable or lightweight enough to also be compatible with pet carriers.
Systems for cooling and heating pet homes are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,827,872 and 5,746,271 to Sommers and DeCosta, respectively. Sommers' patent discloses a structure within a pet home that is surrounded by insulating materials, and heating and air cooling systems, such that the structure's temperature may be regulated. DeCosta's patent, meanwhile, discloses a climate controlled doghouse that features a heating and air conditioning unit mounted to its exterior surface. While both of these devices disclose systems that can cool and heat a doghouse, neither invention discloses systems that are compatible with portable pet carriers. Additionally, DeCosta fails to disclose a conduction system that is operable under any and all of the non-optimal conditions that a portable dog carrier may be subjected to, such unlevel ground.
Another problem with the DeCosta device involves the remote monitoring feature. First although DeCosta discloses a means to send and receive information related to temperature of the DeCosta dog house to and from a remote device, the remote monitoring device is located at a stationary area within the pet owner's home and is, thus, not portable. Second, the information shared between the “remote” within the pet owner's home and the DeCosta invention includes only numeric temperature data. Furthermore, the remote monitoring device only allows the owner to remotely adjust the interior temperature of the dog house based on minimum and maximum temperatures within the dog house. The minimum and maximum limitation is in place in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the dog house, not necessarily determine the ambient temperature at a certain moment. Thus, the purpose of the remote monitoring device is to check the performance of the invention, and not to observe the relative comfort of the pet and adjust accordingly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,805 to Bach discloses another similar such device. Bach's patent discloses a pet shelter or incubator that features a heat generator and sensor that is responsive to the presence or absence of an animal inside. In this matter, Bach's patent discloses a device that is an incubator that is suitable for newborn and young animals. The device, however, is unsuitable for use as a pet carrier because it is relatively large, unwieldy, and requires a wall outlet for power.
A series of other systems, disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,878,359, 4,939,911, and 5,887,436, issued to Mandell, Mandell, and Duddleston, respectively, disclose pet carriers and vehicular pet kennels that feature means for controlling the climate around the pets. Mandell's '359 patent, for example, discloses a travel accessory for persons who must leave their pets in a vehicle on a sunny day occasionally. In order to protect the pet from heat exhaustion, the device discloses a system for providing cooled air to the interior of the pet enclosure. The '359 patent discloses the use of a mechanical compressor in order to generate cooled air. The mechanical compressor is operated by the vehicles power or an alternate power source. While the '359 patent discloses a means for keeping pets cool while within the enclosure, it fails to disclose a system that can also be used to keep pets warm. Furthermore, because the device uses a mechanical compressor to cool the ambient air, it is relatively unwieldy and cannot easily be carried around by the pet owner.
Mandell's '911 patent discloses a similar such device while improving on the portability of the '359 device by using solid-state devices, such as Peltier modules, in order to cool the air. Like the '359 patent, however, the '911 patent fails to disclose a means for also heating the pet's surroundings. Furthermore, because both devices only cool the air surrounding the pet, their ability to transfer heat away from the animal is somewhat limited.
Duddleston's patent discloses a portable cooled pet carrier that uses Peltier modules in order to cool the interior of the enclosure. The device further features a slidable lid member that allows the user to select between circulating air for the pet or drawing new air into the enclosure from the external surroundings. Duddleston's device, however, suffers from some of the same shortcomings discussed above. First, it fails to disclose a means for providing both cooling and heating to the pet. Second, the device's efficiency in cooling the pet is somewhat limited because it cools the air around the pet, rather than the surfaces with which the pet comes into contact.
Another reference, U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2002/0184895, filed by Anderson, fails to remedy the limitations of the above references because it is not directed to heating a cooling a portable pet enclosure, and instead it is directed at a temperature-controlled dresser drawer. The Anderson device discloses a simple heat sink that is located within an air plenum and allows air to pass over a heat sink to heat or cool the single, small, and insulated drawer. However, Anderson utterly fails to disclose that the drawer is a living space for a pet. Indeed, the drawer is designed for food or medicines, which thrive in the absence of oxygen and fresh air, as opposed to pets, which need oxygen and fresh air to live. The use of the Anderson heating and cooling unit within an air tight drawer teaches away from using the Anderson heating and cooling unit with a portable pet living space.
In addition, the Anderson device, as disclosed, is inappropriate and much too inefficient to work with a portable pet carrier. Additionally, Anderson fails to disclose the heat sink that is claimed and disclosed in the present invention. The very standard type of heat sink disclosed in Anderson simply cools air as it passes over the fins. See FIGS. 4 and 5 in Anderson. The air is then ducted into the cooling cabinet, see FIG. 3 of Anderson, which is entirely a convection system, there is no suggestion or disclosure that the convection heat sink can be combined with a conduction system.
Furthermore, Anderson utterly fails to disclose or enable a single convection system for both hot and cold air. The Anderson convection system requires two, separate air plenums to circulate air in the drawer such that one air plenum is dedicated to heated air and the other air plenum is dedicated to cooled air. The two, separate air plenums are a required limitation of the Anderson device to effectively change the temperature within the drawer to the desired level for any convection system that uses a heat sink, air plenums, and fan. Anderson does not teach, suggest, disclose, enable, claim, or motivate the combination of air the air plenums.
Importantly, Anderson also fails to disclose a device that is portable. Indeed, the only motility of the Anderson device is on a horizontal plane within a dresser or piece of household cabinetry. This limited motility of the drawer allows the drawer to maintain the desired temperature level of the invention. Additionally, the Anderson device requires that the drawer is substantially air tight, which limits the uses for this device and precludes use as a portable pet enclosure. Therefore, Anderson fails to teach, suggest, or disclose a heating and cooling device that is appropriate for a pet enclosure.
Thus, there remains a long felt need in the art for a system for alternately heating and cooling pet kennels or carriers that can easily be transported, controlled remotely, and is efficient in heating and cooling the pet by heating or cooling both the air surrounding the pet and the surfaces upon which the pet lies.
Regulating both the surface temperature and the ambient air temperature of a pet is highly desirable for a number of reasons. First, in order to protect a pet from extreme temperatures, one must regulate the temperature encountered on all surfaces of the pet's body. Second, because a bed or bottom surface is in direct contact with the pet's body, it provides a highly effective means for heat transfer between a thermostatic device and the pet itself.